Month: April 2018

Ibiza is constantly evolving and the island has seen dramatic changes over the last 5 years that many thought were impossible. Only 10 years ago the White Isle was still considered a small summer holiday island with a few big clubs yet in 2018 it’s now a bonafide world destination along with the likes of New York, Monte Carlo and Dubai.

One of the biggest changes is the type of hotels and hostelries that are now available to the more discerning traveller. As the jet-set has discovered the island the needs of the travellers have changed and the island has changed with it.

20 years ago the island was made up of small family hotels along with local chains catering for families in high season and couples in low season. These very same hotels have now been transformed into cutting edge brands offering weekend breaks at eye watering prices focussing on the ‘Dinkys’ – double income no kids.

To back up my point, here’s a little quiz: What are these 2008 hotels now called? Answers at bottom of page – no cheating!

Now another change is about to happen and with it will see the emergence of Santa Eulalia as the next big Ibiza destination. Following on from the Hotels Fenecia, Aguas de Ibiza and ME Ibiza, the Orquídea Hotel in Ibiza’s 3rd largest town is about to have a massive makeover and become the ‘W Hotel’ for summer 2019. This chain has over 50 hotels worldwide and is part of the world class Marriott group of hotels. Their press release says “W Ibiza will embrace the destination’s eclectic roots through bold and innovative design, capturing the free spirit of Ibiza whilst elevating the experience to a new level”.

What’s interesting is the choice of location for such a world leading hotel. Santa Eulalia is the epitome of middle class Ibiza with a strict town hall who has clearly stated that beach clubs aren’t welcome and who continue to tightly control what happens in their municipality. It’s a peaceful part of the island and the big hotel chains obviously view this as a positive for their upwardly mobile client base who want luxurious peace and quiet and are prepared to pay a premium for the privilege but also have access to other things on an island that measures just 220 square miles.

Only a few years ago it would have been unthinkable that these large brands would be investing tens of millions of euros on hotels on a small island in the Med but as Ibiza has risen up the rankings it has become big business and hotel chains view the ‘cool factor’ as important when it comes to managing their portfolios, not to mention the big yields. 150 euros per person per night in May is now a small price to pay for a weekend getaway on the White Isle.

The W Hotel opening will be another watershed moment for an island that has now become accustomed to these moments. The Ibiza of 2018 is a totally different animal to that of 2008 and how far the island can continue to rise remains to be seen but when it comes to a choice of world class hotels then Ibiza has never had it so good and Santa Eulalia is right at the forefront. Who’d have thought!

Santa Eulalia council plans to implement a suspension on all future tourist rental licences for single-use properties (in other words villas) throughout the municipality that will come into effect until a final decision is made whether or not to allow this type of economic activity.

Mayor Vicent Marí, has already indicated which way he would like to see the town going commenting that “you cannot ‘touristify’ the countryside indefinitely” and advocates country houses being used for residential use only.

The decision to suspend new licences was agreed unanimously by Santa Eulalia councillors in their February meeting and has now been passed on to the Island Council for approval later this month. Ibiza Town has already announced a similar suspension of tourist licences for houses although there aren’t many of this type in that municipality.

Santa Eulalia will delay the final decision on new licences until a full study has been carried out although the Mayor has been very clear with his thoughts on the matter: “The tourist use of houses must be controlled, you cannot create unlimited places, holiday homes must have some limits”, he also acknowledged the connection with Ibiza’s lack of affordable housing.

Although the suspension of new licences will be ‘provisional’, Santa Eulalia’s Mayor admitted that it “could last for years” given the pace of the administrative procedures necessary to modify planning laws and introduce changes that are deemed appropriate.

In recent months, Ibiza’s 5 separate municipalities (San Antonio, San Jose, Ibiza Town, Santa Eulalia and Sant Joan) have sent their proposals to the Island Council for formal approval later this month so that the new rental laws will comes into force for this summer. Subsequently, the municipalities will have to adapt their planning laws to reflect the new limitations imposed on tourist rentals.

Sant Joan has also confirmed that they will prohibit tourist rentals in private residential apartments from being rented to tourists after there was an initial outcry when Mayor Antoni Marí Marí, ‘Carraca’ said they were considering allowing this type of activity. After pressure from the island council they have fallen into line with the rest of the island so now it will be illegal to rent a private apartment in a communal block for less than 30 nights anywhere on the island.

San Antonio council has denied Amnesia and Privilege’s requests for an extension of hours for their opening parties, scheduled for May.

The reason given is that San Antonio Council is working to promote different sectors of nightlife as per the Strategic Plan 2016-2030, which highlights the need to diversify the profile of tourists visiting the municipality. Both establishments must close their doors at 6am on the days they celebrate their opening.

The coalition council also consider that the high accumulation of people on these occasions especially as residents are going about their daily tasks generate discomfort to the local population and can also cause situations of unnecessary risk.

The written decision denying the extension of hours also points out that given the pre-eminence of the nightlife sector, it is not considered adequate to provide differential and favorable treatment to public institutions, such as the extension of timetables above the regulated.

MANINSANAN COMMENT: Yet another example of petty mindedness from San Antonio’s 3-Party coalition council. The town only has a few world class venues and instead of embracing these events (that happen only twice a year) and allowing them to become festivals of celebration bringing thousands of extra people into the town they decide to go for restrictions citing public safety issues.

San Antonio has a big problem and the problem is called the ‘West End’. A small lawless area full of excitable young tourists, professional thieves, street-wise prostitutes and a few unscrupulous business people who stop at nothing to earn extra money whilst watching their surroundings go downhill rapidly, not wanting to do anything about it.

The irony is that it was these same unscrupulous business people who went to last Wednesday’s stormy council meeting and hogged all the headlines with their uneducated shoutings towards the democratically elected council who are making good on their promises to ‘clean up’ the town. Whether you agree with the council or not (I don’t but many do) they are only doing what they said they were going to do. No surprises here.

Lost in all the headlines and the hyperbole is the innocent ‘victims’ (I use this term loosely) who have done nothing wrong but find themselves on the sharp end of a new drastic closing time law that will greatly affect their and their families livelihoods for the foreseeable future.

I’m talking about those bar owner/operators who always try to play by the rules hoping this might curry favour with a council administration focussed only on targeting the legal businesses rather than the illegal people ruining the area. Ridiculous fines, over the top laws. In other words attrition by stealth.

As the petty fines are being handed out the elephant in the room is largely being ignored. The elephant of course is the profesional criminals and gangs that go unhindered on most nights with the council consistently hiding behind laws and blaming everyone else apart from themselves for not being on top of the problem, yet they change other laws to suit their election manifestoes. Double standards don’t come much higher than in San Antonio, Ibiza.

Deputy Mayor Pablo Valdes Cardona of the left wing Reinicia Party (an off-shoot of Podemos) has assumed the role of the pantomime villain in many peoples eyes during this whole sorry episode but is only doing what he set out to do: Close down the West End bit by bit in the vain hope that it regenerates itself and becomes a mini Marbella or preferably (for him) the new Santa Eulalia. If you were in any doubt as to his intentions then just look at the writing on the t-shirts he loves to wear in the public eye, it’s usually a good indication of where his head’s at.

The only glitch in Pablo’s masterplan is that there is no actual plan apart from shutting down, prohibiting and taking away. The so-called ‘strategic plan’ for San Antonio is a generic document that could apply to any Spanish seaside town: Better tourists, more spending power, blah blah blah. Many people would be less critical if the council took away with one hand then gave back with the other but so far we haven’t seen anything except for markets displaced, drinking bans in place, opening hours cut, licences suspended, terraces removed.

Where’s the incentives? Where’s the hope? Where’s the confidence in your own town? When a council and its native population perversely enjoy telling the world that San Antonio is a dirty place full of drunk British tourists then don’t blame the outside world for standing up and taking notice.

But the reality is completely different. San Antonio is a wonderful place full of life and ambition with entrepreneurs trying to change things step by step but coming up against obstacles on a daily basis. So many great things about San Antonio yet a few renegade businesses garner all the negative headlines and fashion people’s perceptions.

With elections only a year away expect plenty more council negativity as the coalition tries to paint it black and deliver it grey as a way of justifying their actions, appealing to their core voters who want revolution now not evolution over the next 10 years. San Antonio could be the best place in the world if a forward thinking local government was in place who chose to focus on the positives whilst dealing effectively with the negatives.

A coalition council with a ‘retired’ socialist mayor, an idealist radical left wing deputy mayor and a minority centre right party who don’t seem to have any influence doesn’t instil the tourist industry (our only commodity) with confidence. History has proven that coalitions rarely work and this appears to be the case in San Antonio’s town hall and it’s the innocent ‘victims’ of radical decisions who have my sympathy right now, not the loudmouths in the back row of a council meeting.